Snyder Family 2016 - Person Sheet
NameWilliam J. “Bill” Harper 
Birth20 Mar 1814, (W) Virginia
Deathlate 1863, West Virginia
Death Memoanother source says d. Apr 1864
FlagsKilled By Snyder’s Swamps Duning Civil War
FatherJohn “Adam” Harper (1779-1870)
MotherMargaret Wamsley (1785-1871)
Notes for William J. “Bill” Harper
Killed by a band of guerillas known as "Swamp Dragons", as he was hiding out at his Uncle Leonard HARPER's home during the Civil War.
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“In the Civil War, fighting in northwestern Virginia differed from the panoramic clashes between large armies farther east. In the highlands, the steep, heavily forested terrain favored small bands of men who could strike their foe quickly and disappear into the deep woods. Because of this, men who knew the obscure mountain paths and trails were prized assets for both sides. Early in the conflict, Unionists such as John Slaton and Sampson Snyder quickly gained renown in the region, leading patrols harassing local secessionists. Neither, however, could match the record of Bill and Zeke Harper. For 2 1/2 years, these woodsmen specialized in guiding Rebel raiders against targets along the B&O Railroad and stalking their former friends and neighbors in vicious guerrilla warfare.
Hunter, Adventurer William Harper was born on March 20, 1814. Son of the famed panther hunter Adam Harper, he grew up at the family farm along Clover Run in Tucker County. Over the years, this solitary mountaineer became one of the greatest nimrods of the high Alleghenies. Even though he was 47 when the war began, Bill, always ready for a good scrap, promptly offered his services to Virginia forces as an independent scout and guide. ....
... A Final Clash
On a snowy night in late 1863, Bill also ran out of luck. The scout stopped to spend the night at the home of Leonard Harper deep in the
mountains of Pendleton County, W.Va.
Around 2 a.m., the household was awakened by men shouting, "Where's Bill Harper?" Then, as the intruders rounded up Leonard, his wife,
Phoebe, and their two daughters, Bill silently raised a window and crawled out on the snow-covered porch roof. Closing the window, he
covered himself with a white sheet.
He might have remained unseen, but his nerves got the best of him, and he fired a wild shot through the window when one of the men
looked his way. Then jumping to the ground, he sprinted for the woods.
About 100 yards from the house, Sampson Snyder blocked his path and called out for him to surrender. Bill answered Snyder with a pistol
ball that barely missed the "Swamp Dragon" and then sliced the captain's hand with a swipe of his bowie knife. Before Bill could make his
escape, however, Matthew Helmick emptied his revolver into the scout's chest.
After pitching Harper's body into the hog pen, the Unionists proceeded to ransack the house and steal all of the horses. The next morning,
Catherine Trimble, one of Leonard's daughters, found the swine feasting on Bill's frozen corpse. ....”
Excerpts From:
Two brothers lead Rebel guerrilla raids.
The Washington Times Oct 29 , 2005
Steve French, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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“In the Civil War, fighting in northwestern Virginia differed from the panoramic clashes between large armies farther east. In the highlands, the steep, heavily forested terrain favored small bands of men who could strike their foe quickly and disappear into the deep woods. Because of this, men who knew the obscure mountain paths and trails were prized assets for both sides. Early in the conflict, Unionists such as John Slaton and Sampson Snyder quickly gained renown in the region, leading patrols harassing local secessionists. Neither, however, could match the record of Bill and Zeke Harper. For 2 1/2 years, these woodsmen specialized in guiding Rebel raiders against targets along the B&O Railroad and stalking their former friends and neighbors in vicious guerrilla warfare.
Hunter, Adventurer William Harper was born on March 20, 1814. Son of the famed panther hunter Adam Harper, he grew up at the family farm along Clover Run in Tucker County. Over the years, this solitary mountaineer became one of the greatest nimrods of the high Alleghenies. Even though he was 47 when the war began, Bill, always ready for a good scrap, promptly offered his services to Virginia forces as an independent scout and guide. ....
... A Final Clash
On a snowy night in late 1863, Bill also ran out of luck. The scout stopped to spend the night at the home of Leonard Harper deep in the
mountains of Pendleton County, W.Va.
Around 2 a.m., the household was awakened by men shouting, "Where's Bill Harper?" Then, as the intruders rounded up Leonard, his wife,
Phoebe, and their two daughters, Bill silently raised a window and crawled out on the snow-covered porch roof. Closing the window, he
covered himself with a white sheet.
He might have remained unseen, but his nerves got the best of him, and he fired a wild shot through the window when one of the men
looked his way. Then jumping to the ground, he sprinted for the woods.
About 100 yards from the house, Sampson Snyder blocked his path and called out for him to surrender. Bill answered Snyder with a pistol
ball that barely missed the "Swamp Dragon" and then sliced the captain's hand with a swipe of his bowie knife. Before Bill could make his
escape, however, Matthew Helmick emptied his revolver into the scout's chest.
After pitching Harper's body into the hog pen, the Unionists proceeded to ransack the house and steal all of the horses. The next morning,
Catherine Trimble, one of Leonard's daughters, found the swine feasting on Bill's frozen corpse. ....”
Excerpts From:
Two brothers lead Rebel guerrilla raids.
The Washington Times Oct 29 , 2005
Steve French, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES